Every time I see my grandmother she asks me without fail, if — alongside my native country — I’ve forsaken the opportunity to love.
Her question isn’t completely absurd, nor is it unusual. Expats are transient by nature. Even those who have committed to their new homeland for life are often surrounded by those who have not; as strangers in a strange land, settled expats too are pulled into the orbit of itinerants. It’s a bit like drunk driving — just because you’re not doing it doesn’t mean you won’t be hit by someone who is.
These truisms add up to a bad reputation for expats when it comes dating. And yet I believe that expat life is conducive to finding love to a higher degree than dating in my home country, the United States.
Here’s why.